The present disclosure relates generally to shipping containers, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for palletizing a product to be shipped.
Products that weigh over a certain amount raise a number of issues with regards to transporting those products. A high weight product typically requires that the product be attached to a pallet in order to allow for mechanical lifting of the product by a machine such as, for example, a forklift. Generally, a box is attached to a pallet by straps and/or fasteners, and the product is placed in the box when it is ready to be shipped. The pallets are generally made of wood to reduce cost and allow easy attachment of the box to the pallet.
However, freight costs for shipping the product are determined based on the weight of the combined product, box, and pallet. Wooden pallets and the components necessary to attach the box to the pallet increase the weight of the combination, increasing the cost of shipping the product.
Furthermore, the box and pallet must be lifted by factory operators in order to position the box on a conveyor or some other means which will position the box appropriately such that the product may be placed in it. The additional weight of the wooden pallet and components necessary to attach the box to the pallet may be lifted several hundreds of times per day, creating ergonomic issues with the factory operators.
Finally, in order to ship products overseas, wooden pallets must be treated to ensure they do not carry bugs. Products attached to wooden pallets may be held up during overseas transportation or rejected all together due to possible bug issues with the wooden pallets.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved method and apparatus for palletizing a product absent the disadvantages found in the prior methods discussed above.